‘The Sound of Water: From Hiroshige’s Rain and Rivers to Senju Hiroshi’s Waterfalls’

Yamatane Museum of Art

Being an island nation, Japan has always relied on water as a major form of transport and travel, with the importance of its natural waterways often depicted in art.

This exhibition focuses on “the sound of water” — running rivers, lapping waves, waterfalls and rainfall — though there is nothing to be heard at the show. Visitors are asked to imagine these sounds emanating from works that span the ages, from 19th-century prints by masters such as Utagawa Hiroshige to modern paintings by Taikan Yokoyama, Ryushi Kawabata and Togyu Okumura, and the contemporary waterfall works of Hiroshi Senju. All pieces in the exhibition were selected for their powerful imagery, which encourages visitors to think more about one of the most important nutrients of our existence; July 19-Sept. 15.